Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 5398
NGC 5398 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Centaurus, 26.4 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Centaurus |
| Distance | 26.4 million light-years (8.10 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 28,200 light-years · 0.32 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −17.70 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 11.84 |
| Luminosity | 0.052 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 14h 01m 22.2s |
| Declination (J2000) | −33° 03′ 52″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 11.84. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 57° N. South of latitude 57° S it never sets. It stands highest at midnight in April, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 26 million years ago. At that time the dinosaurs were gone and mammals were diversifying; there was no human lineage yet. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 468.6 billion years.